Shelter From the Storm
by kingsmeadroad
Summary: TV Prompt Challenge- A bad case and a stormy night leads to a need for reassurance and closeness.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Criminal Minds related. Characters are merely borrowed and will be put back later. ;)**

**Title: Shelter From the Storm**

**Prompt: Casual Friday**

"_You are pulled from the wreckage, of your silent reverie.  
You're in the arms of the angel; may you find some comfort here."_

_Sarah McLachlan_

It had been, without a doubt, one of the worst cases he had ever seen. Five boys aged between 6 and 8, raped, tortured, beaten and tossed aside like trash, thrown into a brook in Oregon. It had taken them a relatively short time to find the killer, Thomas Wicks- and Hotch was pacified to hear that the chances of him escaping capital punishment were slim. Nonetheless, it was no satisfaction for the families of the dead, and the journey home had been littered with a dark, deep, encroaching sadness. Nobody had spoken.

When they landed at the BAU and went to the office, Hotch immediately told them to leave, and to take some time to think it through, to get back on track, told them that he would see them the following day and that they were all to take it easy for the night.

And then he had locked himself into his office, watching out the window at the team as they left. He took off his suit jacket and he noted that, just like him, the rest of the team all paid particular attention to Prentiss, who was the worst affected by the case.

Having found the final two corpses in the killer's home, she had desperately tried to revive them, but she had been too late. She had tried, so valiantly, to save the lives of two boys, that she had allowed herself to become personally involved. The tears had streamed down her face when she realised that she couldn't save them, and she had only stopped trying when Hotch had literally pulled her away, wrapping her into his arms and hugging her to him as she cried miserably against his chest.

He watched from the window, anxious and cautious, waiting for her to make her move and leave the BAU. But she didn't. She sat in her seat for at least twenty minutes, quiet and alone, as the team left. Each one of them asked her if she was alright, if she needed a lift, if they could help. And she turned them all away, insisting that she was alright, telling them she would see them tomorrow.

His biggest surprise came when Dave- the last one to leave the office, knelt in front of her and hugged her before he left. That had started her crying again, and he too offered to bring her home, but she again refused, insisting that she just needed a few more minutes.

After another ten minutes, with every other member of the team gone, she was still sitting there, quietly, calmly, preparing herself for the journey home, knowing that she would need her composure to drive home in the storm raging outside. Thunder pummelled against the clouds and darkness hung over Virginia, entirely mimicking her feelings.

Finally, she stood up and left. He followed her to the car park, and stood in the rain to watch her as she went slowly to her car, the thunder and lighting, the sheets of icy rain not affecting her as she moved at snail's pace, still not quite at rights with herself.

And then Emily completely took him by surprise. Her shoulders shook and she broke down, crying and sobbing to herself, pressing her head into her hands, a desperate feeling of uselessness overcoming her usually composed exterior as she leaned against her car.

And he couldn't leave her there anymore. He ran across the car park and cupped her face with his hands, the rain pouring over them as she cried, rage and depression forcing her to confront her darkest hour in his presence.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Aaron said, over and over, hugging her close, his suit destroyed by the pounding raindrops. She scrunched her fists into his shirt at his shoulders, taking all the comfort she could from him, any plausible awkwardness forgotten about in the moment of pain.

He steered her away from the car and half carried her back to the elevator, where he stood with her pressed against his chest. When they arrived at the glass doors of the BAU, he supported her with his arm. He walked with her past her desk, picking up the bag she had left behind at her desk and carrying it with him until they reached his office. He closed the door behind him and dropped the bag, shushing her gently in his arms as she cried herself into calmness.

They were still soaking wet, but she was quiet against him, appreciating what he was doing for her, though she didn't have the composure yet to tell him that. He just kept his arms locked around her, stroking her back and keeping her as calm as he could, resting his chin against her head when the occasional dry sob returned and she gasped into his neck for comfort.

When she finally tried to pull away, he was cautious about allowing her, but he eventually did let her go. "Emily..." he started, trying to reassure her, but she shook her head.

"It doesn't matter," she croaked, "I'll be fine tomorrow."

"No you won't," Aaron said, walking to the cupboard in the corner of the room and pulling out the heavy blanket he kept there for the nights he had to stay at the BAU to avoid his empty house- the days just after Haley had left. He hadn't stayed in his office overnight in a long time. He walked back to her and pressed it into her hands. She stood there quietly, not fully in control of herself yet, and when he tried to leave, she protested, "No. Don't... go."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he assured her, standing in front of her for a second to squeeze her hand. "I'll be back. Get changed while I'm gone, and wrap up to keep yourself warm, okay?" He grabbed his own bag and left the room, allowing her the privacy to get warm.

***

When he left, he walked to the kitchen and boiled the kettle before using Dave's office to get changed himself, pulling his wet things off and pulling on the last shirt from his go bag, not bothering to tuck it into his pants, leaving the room again to make her a cup of steaming tea. When he returned to her, she was sitting quietly on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her, head resting against the back of the couch, the blanket wrapped around her. Her wet clothes were placed on the radiator, and he closed the door when he came in, putting his wet shoes next to hers on the floor and handing her the cup of tea before dropping his clothes on the heater near hers. Lightning flashed outside and the light in his office- the last one on in the entire BAU- went out. He sighed and considered flipping the switch down the hall to beat the blowout, eventually deciding not to bother.

Finally, he sat next to her on the couch and was relatively surprised when she crawled closer to him. She could feel the temperature difference between them; he was still cold and shivery, so she reached part of the huge blanket around him and rested her head against his shoulder under the cover, sipping the tea to calm herself even more. The darkness covered the room and prevented her from really facing the situation she was in; she wasn't ready yet to admit that she was leaning on him where she would usually just force her emotions to the back of her head and heart.

He was unsurprised when she fell asleep against his shoulder, and he stretched her out next to him, keeping his arm around her waist, the blanket over them as the night got darker and the storm raged on. Her back rested against his chest as they lay side by side, and she slept fitfully, quietly, any nightmares abated with the subconscious knowledge that she was safe with him.

***

He woke up when the morning sun streamed through the window, forcing his eyes to face the day ahead. He could hear the other members of the BAU outside in the office, getting ready for their paperwork and reports, and he was glad that they hadn't come into his office yet. He managed to move over Emily, leaving her asleep on the couch as he wandered around his office, fixing his attire as he dialled JJ's line.

"I need you to bring me two cups of coffee," he said softly.

When she arrived with them, she raised her eyebrow at him, realising instantly what had happened, but she said nothing other than "Is she alright?"

"She will be," he replied. "Tell the others... I don't know."

"I won't give any details. I'm just glad she got the help she needed."

When she left, Aaron gently woke Emily, stroking her shoulder softly to wake her slowly, afraid that she might not know her surroundings. She took the coffee from him without saying a word, and finally she looked him in the eye, something she had been avoiding.

"Thanks," she said, a weird shyness overcoming her.

"There's nothing to be thankful for," Aaron insisted. "I just want you to be okay."

How they managed to escape unnoticed, she would never know. She didn't want to answer questions about it, and she hoped that no one would ask any- which they didn't, preferring to let her be after the horrible previous day. It was Reid who later- hours later- asked her why she was wearing jeans to work, in complete violation of the dress code.

"Casual Friday," she muttered, giving him a small smile and settling down at her desk to work through the day.

"But it's Thursday," Reid said, shooting a confused look at JJ, who had, true to her word, not told anyone anything. JJ simply shook her head and shrugged, but Hotch, who was passing through the bullpen at the time, smiled slightly and glanced at Emily, surprised to find that she was smiling contentedly along with him.


End file.
